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The Kiln
I built my kiln at the beginning of 2007 from plans supplied by Joe Finch. It was a great project and an important one that gave me a deeper understanding of kilns and how to fire them. It is a large kiln at 80 cubic feet (or 4”x4”x5”), which I fire with off-cuts from a sawmill in the nearby Preseli Hills.
The kiln fires to stoneware temperatures of 1300°c. Due to its fast fire downdraft design firings can be as short as nine hours.
Firing a wood kiln is very involved, the constant stoking giving you a strong connection to the process that turns raw earth into glass and stone. The direct contact with ash and flame brings a subtle earthiness to my work. The unexpected nuances in each piece resulting from the firing reinforce my works connection with the natural environment and the unique processes that shape the landscape.
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